An Untouchable President, That's What Donald Trump's Attorneys Would Have Us Believe, Racing Questions About Presidential Powers; US And Russia Is To Get Ready For Historic Sit Down With North Korea; Villages Blanketed By Ash As Smoke As A Deadly Volcano Erupts In Guatemala, First Day Of Protest In Jordan Over Tax Reform Aired: 12- 1a ET

Aired June 4, 2018 - 00:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CYRIL VANIER, HOST, NEWSROOM: And the US and Russia is to get ready for historic sit down with North Korea.

ALLEN: Also, villages blanketed by ash as smoke as a deadly volcano erupts in Guatemala.

VANIER: Hi, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us, I am Cyril Vanier here in Atlanta.

ALLEN: And I'm Natalie Allen, "CNN Newsroom" starts right now. And we begin with the Russia investigation and some interesting questions about the limits of US Presidential powers. Rudy Giuliani, one of Donald Trump's lawyers says the President could probably pardon himself if it came to that, but he doesn't intend to.

VANIER: Giuliani also told the "Huffington Post" that as the sitting President, Mr. Trump is so untouchable he could have shot former FBI Director James Comey in the Oval Office and still couldn't be indicted. We get more now from CNN's Boris Sanchez.

(START VIDEO TAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Rudy Giuliani for the most part echoed some of what we saw in those letters published by the "New York Times" on Saturday that were sent from the White House legal team to the special counsel in January of this year.

Giuliani said that he likely would have changed some of it, but that he agrees with 80% of its premise, namely the idea that President Trump being the top law enforcement officer in the country could end any investigation he so chooses even one directed at him.

To clarify, Giuliani said that he perhaps wouldn't go that far, but he said that theoretically, it is clear in the Constitution that the President reserves that right. Further on the issue of pardons, Giuliani made the case that in theory, the President does have the authority to pardon himself, but on both counts, Giuliani said that the President likely wouldn't go that route.

Here is more from the former Mayor of New York City.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: ALLEN: He is not and he probably does, he has no intention of pardoning himself, but he probably - that doesn't say he can't. I mean, that's another really interesting Constitutional (inaudible) - can the President pardon himself?

I think the political ramifications of that would be tough. Pardoning other people is one thing, pardoning yourself is another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Giuliani also said that he would be prepared to challenge any subpoena coming from the special counsel in court, further, he argued that the President reserves the right to challenge the special counsel probe in court legally as illegitimate.

Boris Sanchez, CNN at the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ALLEN: We've got CNN legal and national security analyst, Asha Ranggapa here to discuss this with us, as well as Larry Sabato, Director for Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. Welcome to you both. Asha, first question to you. First of all, listen to Rudy Giuliani in his latest argument for why it is not a good idea for Donald Trump to talk to Robert Mueller.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

GIULIANI: I mean, this is the reason you don't let the President testify. You know, our recollection keeps changing or we are not even asked the question and somebody makes an assumption. In my case, I made an assumption then we correct it, and I got it right out as soon as it happened.

I think that's what happened here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Our recollection keeps changing, so the President's lawyer is saying we keep changing our story and therefore, it is too dangerous for us to testify. Is he helping or hurting his client here?

ASHA RANGGAPA, LEGAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, CNN: Rudy Giuliani never appears to help his client, which is the President of the United States. Basically, what he is saying there is that not only the President, but his lawyers can't keep their own lies straight and that is why they can't sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller.

And that basically tells you everything. They can't keep their stories straight. Even their legal theories appear to contradict each other and I am happy to tell you more about that, but they just don't seem to be on the same page on pretty much anything.

VANIER: All right, what about the political angle here? Larry, the President reportedly wants to testify and sit down with Bob Mueller, but his lawyers don't. What do you think is the best thing for him politically?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR FOR CENTER FOR POLITICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: Politically, would be to testify, but of course, in order to testify, he would have to get his story straight and he has to be careful not to stray from it.

He would have to be careful not to contradict himself and because none of those things are likely, probably, he won't testify or it would be a surprise if he testifies.

VANIER: All right, so another legal question then, the President's lawyers of course say that their client has done nothing wrong. Donald Trump also says he has done nothing wrong, yet his lawyers do not want him to testify because they feel, he could end up in some legal trap. Those are the words they have used - legal trap.

[00:05:05]

VANIER: My question is, if you are innocent of any wrong doing, can you nonetheless get yourself in trouble in front of the special counsel?

RANGGAPA: So, what Rudy Giuliani is claiming is that if the President talks to Mueller that he may basically get himself caught in a lie and then be criminally implicated and there are a few problems with this.

So, first of all, the false statements charge in the United States which is 18-USC-1001, I was a former FBI agent, we called this our best friend, which is to make sure people tell the truth. It's still actually quite a hard crime to charge someone with.

You have to not only show that what they are lying about is material. You have to show that they are doing it knowingly. That they know that what they are telling you is a lie. So, something that is just a mere mis-recollection or you know, omission, or inadvertent omission can't really be prosecuted.

But, the bigger story here is that they just don't have legally consistent argument. One of Rudy Giuliani's other argument is that the President cannot obstruct justice because he is in control of the executive branch, he can start and stop investigations at will, which means that even if he did make a false statement to the FBI or to Robert Mueller, according to Rudy Giuliani, he could make sure that that was never even prosecuted in the first place.

So, they don't really believe their legal arguments and I think they are giving away their hand a little bit is what they are worried about. VANIER: Giuliani is still to you, Asha, Giuliani says the President's

pardon powers are limitless and that he could probably pardon himself if needed. What's the law on the that? Do we have the answer?

RANGGAPA: There is no definitive answer, but there is case law that suggests that when a pardon is given, there has to be a recipient. We need to remember that the pardon power is one of the few monarchical powers that was imported into the Constitution and that this was Federalist Number 74, which Alexander Hamilton argued that the pardon power should be concentrated in one person even though we were trying to decentralize that power.

And so, there is a grantor and a grantee. This is about giving mercy, so the office of legal counsel and the Department of Justice in 1974 actually issued an opinion that the President cannot pardon himself, so this is a very shaky legal strategy for Rudy Giuliani to be putting out there.

VANIER: Yes, there is other stuff he said that is shaky. Larry, let me ask you about that. Giuliani told the "Huffington Post" that the President's powers are so broad that he couldn't be indicted even if he shot James Comey in the Oval Office, so question number one, I mean, this is an interesting scenario to bring up after a week, when Washington bemoaned the coarseness and incivility of public discourse.

SABATO: Look, sometimes, I wonder why they let Rudy Giuliani out of the barn so frequently. He really hurts their case in many ways. The things that he is saying are preposterous. He is suggesting that not only can the President pardon himself, which politically is a nonstarter. Forget about the legal rules of it, politically, it is not a nonstarter.

They are also suggesting that because he is President of the United States and is the head of the administrative branch, the executive branch, he can unilaterally stop any investigation and clear anyone, no one has ever made a claim like that before.

People have worried about the authoritarian strain in the Trump administration and in Trump himself. Here is a piece of evidence.

VANIER: And you know, I am reminded you say, you wonder why they let Rudy Giuliani out of the barn, I am reminded that President Trump a short while ago was reported had said, he wanted better TV lawyers, better people to represent him on TV and he chose Giuliani and he is keeping him in that job.

So, I guess to some extent, Larry, he must be satisfied with what he is seeing.

SABATO: Well, perhaps he is or perhaps Giuliani makes him look good in a sense as often as Trump strays from the interstate, I think probably Giuliani does it twice or three times as much. So, Trump looks more sensible. It is as though his brain is connected to his mouth more frequently than Giuliani's.

But it almost doesn't matter because what Giuliani says and what the prosecutors eventually decide to do are probably very separate things.

VANIER: All right, Larry Sabato, Asha Ranggapa, thank you for joining us on this show. Always a pleasure to talk to you, thanks.

SABATO: Thank you.

ALLEN: Breaking news. We are following - we are learning that at least 25 people have been killed after Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted Sunday. The explosion sent a river of lava into a nearby village and volcanic ash flew more than nine kilometers into the air.

VANIER: Search and rescue operations are underway. Officials warn more explosions are coming. All right, we will stay on this...

[00:10:16]

VANIER: ... and we will give you more on this developing situation later on in the show, the CNN Center - CNN weather team is working on this as well.

ALLEN: Jordan, a key US ally is facing its largest protest in years as anger intensifies across the Kingdom over austerity measures.

This has been the scene for the past five days, thousands have been demanding the Prime Minister's resignation after the government proposed raising income taxes for some workers.

VANIER: King Abdullah has asked to meet with Prime Minister Hani Al- Mulki on Monday. In the meantime, protesters say many are struggling to find basic necessities.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Through an interpreter). The citizens now have no power. They are searching for their children's daily food. Women are starting looking in garbage containers to get their kids' food, and every day, we are surprised by rising prices and new taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The International Monetary Fund recommended the austerity plan after giving Jordan a $723 million credit line. The goal is to reduce Jordan's massive public debt, which is now 94% of its gross domestic products.

VANIER: Officials estimate about 18% of the population is unemployed and 14% lives in poverty. Jordan has also hosted more than a million refugees from Syria's Civil War putting even more pressure on Jordan's economy.

ALLEN: There's barely more than a week left until President Trump is face to face with North Korea's Kim Jong-un. Ahead here, we take a close look at what is at stake.

[00:15:00] VANIER: So the White House is getting ready for the June 12th summit

between US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

ALLEN: It's going to happen, isn't it? Finally. President Trump will have lunch with his Defense Chief on Monday, James Mattis has just returned to Washington from Singapore where he met with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts among others.

Talking with reporters, Sunday, Mattis said, there is strong agreement for North Korea to get rid of its nuclear arsenal.

VANIER: And he said, US troops on the Korean peninsula are staying put.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MATTIS, US DEFENSE SECRETARY: (Inaudible). I will say it again, I am not making news here, I am just saying, they are not going anywhere, (inaudible) discussion, you know, obviously, they are there because of (inaudible) conditions of 10 years ago, five years ago...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Let's talk more about it with our CNN international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. He is in Seoul, South Korea. Nic, with few details, it seems it's anyone's guess what might come out of this initial summit. Vigilance is certainly the word of the day from the US Defense Secretary there.

NIC ROBERTSON, INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR, CNN: Sure, and the very fact that Secretary of Defense, James Mattis repeated the same message three times over the week and his speech on Saturday, that a meeting with the Japanese Defense Minister, Sunday - Sunday morning before he left, and on that flight back to Washington later on - later that same day, Sunday.

So, the reason he is doing that is because the Japanese in particular are concerned that President Trump has said several things that worried them. One of them is that this meeting he is going to have with Kim-Jong un is a getting to know you meeting. They don't think that's good enough. They think that Kim Jong-un should have put something on the table. This complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization as well as accounting and getting rid of this chemical weapons, biological weapons and ballistic missiles. They believe that should have been on the table.

They also were concerned because President Trump said he was no longer going to call for extreme pressure - the terminology he'd used for his very strong sanctions on Kim Jong-un and the Japanese were confused about that.

So, we've heard Mattis say, "Look, we are not getting rid of our troops on the peninsula there. It is vital to security, security of our friends and allies in the region, and we are not going to back down on the sanctions at the moment. He said what he was doing in essence, if you like in military terms,

providing top cover he said - he didn't use those words, but provide the space and capability for the diplomats, meaning President Trump to do his job.

But absolutely, the pressure is on. South Korea thinks, give Kim a chance. It is not necessary that he will repeat the performance that his father and grandfather did before him and (inaudible) deals with American Presidents, so with Japan, very cautious about this and this is what we've heard so valuably from Secretary Mattis.

ALLEN: All right, we will be talking more about it in just a moment, thank you, Nic Robertson for us there in Seoul.

VANIER: Singapore will be in the global spotlight as host of the upcoming summit between President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. You just heard that.

ALLEN: CNN' s Will Ripley tells us more about how this small city state was picked for this historic role.

(START VIDEO TAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Welcome to Singapore, known for its mythical mascot, the merlion - half fish, half lion - and soon, something even more surreal.

Some are calling it "The meeting of the century," the first ever summit between a sitting US President, Donald Trump and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

Teams from Washington and Pyongyang are on the ground with only days to figure out a long list of logistical challenges - everything from the venue, infrastructure and security to who will cover the cost given North Korea is a cash-strapped country.

Of all the sites officials floated, Singapore is not the most adventurous like Ulan Bator, Mongolia nor the most diplomatic like Geneva or Stockholm. It's not even the most symbolic place considered like Panmunjom on the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

So, why choose this small city state for one of the biggest geopolitical meetings of our time? For one, location. Singapore is just close enough for North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un to fly...

[00:20:16]

RIPLEY: ... relatively easily from Pyongyang. It is also one of Washington's closest Asian security and trading partners, making it friendly turf for President Trump.

The US and North Korea both have embassies here. In fact, North Korea moved to this new building a couple of years ago. They also both trade here although North Korean trade is currently suspended over sanctions.

Singapore also has a growing reputation as a hub for regional diplomacy. It hosted this major security forum over the weekend.

Singapore is a tourism hot spot known for chilly crab and a striking skyline, but most importantly for the US, it is neutral ground. All of it making Singapore perhaps the most conventional choice for two of the world's most unconventional leaders. Will Ripley, CNN, Singapore.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ALLEN: Let's talk about the unconventional leaders and what could be ahead with this, Stephan Haggard is the Director of the Korea-Pacific Program at the University of California San Diego. He has written extensively on North Korea. He joins us now.

ALLEN: First of all, the meeting is now set and now is the hard part. The US Defense Secretary seeming to emphasize vigilance in the US dealings when it sits down with North Korea. In your opinion, what needs to be behind that vigilance?

HAGGARD: Well, I think all the Secretary was saying that the United States is going to continue to maintain the deterrent obviously on the Peninsula, we can't give that up until we have much greater assurances from the North Korean, but there is also I think a more subtle message that troop deployments are not likely to be part of US concessions.

That has come up in the past and North Koreans would like to see a smaller US footprint in the south. I think the Secretary is saying that's not going to happen.

ALLEN: And we just heard our reporter, Nic Robertson talk about Japan saying that they want the United States to put the pressure on. They weren't happy that President Trump, this past week said, you know, this is going to be a get to know you kind of meeting and he didn't want to use the language anymore of using extreme pressure on North Korea. What's your reaction to that?

HAGGARD: The Japanese of course are concerned because they are in the line of fire. We are not really completely sure whether or not the North Koreans have an intercontinental ballistic missile capability, but we know that they have an intermediate range, and so one of the concerns of the Japanese is that the US would strike a deal or it would address our concerns, but not theirs.

On the sanctions part, I think it's just keeping the pressure on. I think one of the reasons that Kim Jong-un has come back to the table is because the sanctions are working and one of the things we are afraid of - the visit of Lavrov for example, the discussion with Syrian meeting, is that the possibility that the sanctions regime is starting to fall apart.

ALLEN: What do you think North Korea is going to bring to the table?

HAGGARD: You know, honestly, given the discretion that is exercised at the top of that system, it is very hard to know. This is a personalist dictatorship. He can push things around. He has recently fired several top military - people in top military positions (inaudible). He has done something dramatic because I can just see -I just clearly don't think he (inaudible).

ALLEN: And what do you make of the dynamic between these two leaders? These are two leaders who have issued threats, who have used schoolyard kind of language with one another, two leaders that have used misinformation in front of people and their citizens, and now, they are going to be sitting down - Kim Jong-un and President Trump - Donald Trump face to face. What do you make of that?

HAGGARD: Well, as the President says, we'll see what happens, but one thing I think is becoming more and more clear is that both President Trump and Kim Jong-un very much want this meeting to happen. You've seen both of them come back. President Trump came back to the table after cancelling the meeting. Kim Jong-un have broken off contact several weeks ago. He came back. So they really want it to happen.

I think what we are going to get is we are going to get a general declaration of intent on the part of the two parties, but the hard negotiations are going to takes month to complete.

ALLEN: What would this President want to come away with to make it look like he made serious inroads with the regime?

HAGGARD: The man is saying he wants to see is a commitment to denuclearization. It's really that simple. It's not going to happen at the summit because the details required of such an agreement, for example, with the Iran agreement, that took two years of negotiating, so that's not going to happen at the summit.

But I think he wants to see Kim Jong-un utter the words...

[00:25:16]

HAGGARD: ... denuclearization and with some sincerity.

ALLEN: And what could be the process following this initial summit, what do you expect will be laid out afterward, what would you hope?

HAGGARD: You might have noticed that the President is already lowering expectations. He is trying to say that everything is not going to get done at once, and I think actually that is a correct position to take.

So, what we are going to see ideally as a tossup that is going to involve further negotiations between US and North Korea, there is also a bed of negotiations between North Korea and Russia, the Chinese won't be involved, and then you have the North and South process which is going ahead full steam as we speak. ALLEN: Stephan Haggard, we appreciate your thoughts. We will speak

with you again. Thanks so much for joining us.

HAGGARD: My pleasure.

VANIER: A round of trade talks and Beijing has a warning for Washington about the threat of tariffs. The latest on a truce that could be in jeopardy.

ALLEN: Also ahead here, one of Central America's most active volcano erupts for the second time this year. We are talking about Hawaii, we are talking about Guatemala. More about it, coming up here.

And welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I am Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I am Cyril Vanier. Let's look at your headlines, Rudy Giuliani says the US President does not intend to pardon himself in the Russian investigation, but probably has the power to do so. Giuliani also told "Huff Post" that the powers of the President here is so vast, Mr. Trump could have shot former FBI Director James Comey...

[00:30:16]

VANIER: ... in the Oval Office and still wouldn't be indicted.

ALLEN: A stark comment there. Jordan is facing its largest protest in years for the fifth straight day. Thousands protested against austerity measures including proposed reforms which could raise taxes for some workers, many are wondering whether King Abdullah will ask the Prime Minister to resign when they meet on Monday.

VANIER: The Human Rights group says 110 people have been killed in anti-government protests in Nicaragua. The unrest began in April over proposed social security reforms and have expanded to calls for President Daniel Ortega to resign. On Sunday, Pope Francis called for an end to the violence.

ALLEN: Preparations are in full swing now for the June 12th summit between US President Trump and the North Korean leader in Singapore. Mr. Trump is set to meet with Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday, returning from Singapore Sunday. Mattis reiterated that Pyongyang must get rid of its nuclear arsenal and he added that US troops on the Korean peninsula aren't going anywhere.

VANIER: US trading partners aren't couching their anger in diplomatic terms. At a preliminary meeting for Friday's G7 summit in Canada, the Finance Chiefs from the group of seven sent a message of rare unanimous disapproval to President Trump.

They expressed their concern and disappointment over his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The US insists the imports threaten national security.

Canada's Prime Minister rejects that reasoning. (START VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER: The idea that the Canadian steel that is in military vehicles in the United States, the Canadian aluminum that makes your fighter jets is somehow now a threat, the idea that we are somehow a national security to the United States is quite frankly insulting and unacceptable.

LARRY KUDLOW, US ECONOMIC COUNCIL DIRECTOR: Mr. Trudeau, I think he is overreacting. I don't want to get in the middle of that as a fine friend and ally of the United States. Nobody denies that, but the point is, we have to protect ourselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Meantime, China says any progress in trade talks with the US will be erased if President Trump follows through on his recent demand of tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese exports.

The US Commerce Secretary held talks with Chinese negotiators Saturday and Sunday about that.

VANIER: Matt Rivers joins us now with more on Beijing's reactions. Matt, first of all, the US and China have been talking trade for weeks now. There has been a meeting in Washington, meeting in Beijing now. Have they made any progress?

MATT RIVERS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, if they have, we certainly don't know the specifics of it, at least at this point, Cyril, we know that Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross came here to Beijing for two days of talks and only the Chinese side put out a statement after the Commerce Secretary left on Sunday afternoon.

The Chinese side saying that the substantive progress was made, but we don't know exactly what that progress is, and interesting that we haven't heard from the US side at all on this. But you know, the question is, or the takeaway really, Cyril is what China said in that statement saying that if the United States moves forward with tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods as they say they plan to, that any progress that was made this weekend is now off.

So, the question is, do those tariffs go forward and if you're looking for a clue into that, listen to White House economic adviser, Peter Navarro speaking to Fox over the weekend.

(VIDEO CLIP STARTS)

PETER NAVARRO, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: They take our technology, Maria, everybody knows they steal it, but they also force the transfer of it. They evade our export controls and they are coming over here, the Chinese state-owned enterprise, coming over here with bags full of money and buying our places like Silicon Valley.

So, that's the relationship with China that structurally needs to change. We'd love to have a peaceful and friendly relationship with China, but we also are standing firm on the idea that the President is the leader on this. He's known this for decades.

MARIA BARTIMORO, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS: How far are you willing to go?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: And so, basically what you're hearing there from White House economic adviser is that the White House still feels that these tariffs that - don't forget that these tariffs were instituted in a response to things like what you just heard Peter Navarro talk about there, things like intellectual property theft, and so if that remains the view in the White House, you can assume those tariffs are going to go forward, Cyril.

And then that begs the question, well, what was this weekend even for? If the Commerce Secretary came here under the pretense of well, China is not going to agree to any economic agreements because the tariffs might go forward, well if the tariffs are going to go forward, it is not clear what if anything could have possibly been accomplished over two days here in Beijing.

VANIER: And look, does this worry China, I mean, is Beijing actually worried about US tariffs and this possibly escalating?

RIVERS: Yes, they are worried about tariffs.

[00:35:16]

RIVERS: But we need to put it in context in a couple of different ways. One, $50 billion in tariffs is something like a not 0.1% of China's GDP if it actually goes forward, so in terms of getting substantively hit, in terms of really making an economic impact here, these tariffs are not going to really do that.

And furthermore, China thinks that if that - let's say that's just the first step in a trade war that it escalates from there, China does believe that it could weather a trade war better than the United States given how much control the central government here has over those big state-owned enterprises over industry in a way that the United States doesn't.

It is one of the benefits you could say of being an authoritarian dictatorship under Xi Jinping. Some would argue with that but that's certainly the feeling here in Beijing.

VANIER: All right, it looks at this stage like we might be a step closer to that trade war. I am not sure yet, Matt Rivers, we'll talk again - we'll talk to you again next hour. Thank you.

ALLEN: Explosions are still coming from a Guatemala volcano, the explosions have already killed 25 people. Next here, we will have the latest on the search and rescue efforts for others.

VANIER: Plus another erupting volcano continues to wreak havoc, this one in Hawaii leaving people without electricity and now, without a way to escape. We will have the latest on that. ALLEN: We have an update now on the volcano eruption in Guatemala.

The death toll is up to at least 25 people and nearly two million are being affected in some way.

VANIER: The Fuego volcano sent black smoke and ash into the sky on Sunday which drifted all the way to the capital, Guatemala City, some 40 kilometers away. Officials say evacuations and rescues are underway. More than 3,000 people have been forced from their homes. All right.

ALLEN: Let's get more on it from our meteorologist, Ivan Cabrera. You know, Ivan, we have been talking about Hawaii for so long and now, Guatemala and one eruption and 25 people have already lost their lives.

IVAN CABRERA, METEOROLOGIST, CNN: Completely different event, guys, right, no question about it here and the scenes coming out of Guatemala there, certainly not what we have had in Kilauea. People just covered in soot. You see all the folks that were running out of the way.

Twenty five killed, a lot of people and this happened because of the proximity of a particular called El Rodeo, that's right on the foot of the volcano that just didn't have enough time to get out of the way, 455 violent eruption. This is the second of this year, but it is the most violent that they have had in this particular volcano in 40 years as you can imagine here.

Ash cloud, well, that went up to the sky as high as 10 kilometers and they are describing it as a river of lava that came down the mountainside and moved directly through the village, which is why we had so many fatalities and of course, as you can imagine the injuries will be a lot of burn injuries...

[00:40:16]

CABRERA: ... ongoing here and we hope those folks are going to make it. By the way, the ash and soot as far as 40 kilometers inland of the capital city further away saw a little bit of it, but certainly nothing like they have seen close to where the event occurred here, so there is the Fuego volcano. We have many around, but that's the one that has caused this calamity in just the last 12 hours here.

In fact, I was here this morning, nothing to do and all of a sudden, the world could change so quickly for a lot of people. There is the town that we are talking about. There you see how close it is and why we have had so many issues.

Now, in the next few days, we are going to watch the weather very closely here because any kind of rainfall or anything like that and we do have some of the forecast, this could produce us some additional issues with all of the lava that's come out of the volcano. So, at this point here, I don't think they are quite done, right?

We have talked about search and rescue. They are still trying to see how many people maybe needing some help as a result of this volcano. We will keep you posted over the next several hours, a lot of information still to come, guys.

ALLEN: All right, Ivan, thanks so much.

VANIER: All right, there seems to be quite a lot of volcano activity right now. Another one that we have been monitoring for a number of weeks now on CNN has been wreaking havoc on Hawaii's big island for a month. At least, last count, nine people are now stranded with no power, no water, no way out. This after lava flows cut off their final escape routes.

ALLEN: In just the last 24 hours, 500 earthquakes rocked Kilauea's summit area, the highest rate ever measured there. One quake was a magnitude 5.5. For the latest, CNN's Scott McLean is on the ground there in Hawaii.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: It is a single volcanic fissure actually not far from here that is feeding a massive lava flow stretching for miles, almost all the way to the ocean. In between, there are entire neighborhoods that are in danger. It has already stranded about a dozen or so people who refused to evacuate when authorities did one final sweep warning people that their final escape route, their final highway out of there was about to get cut off.

There is no power. No water, no cell service, no landlines inside that isolated zone and so, authorities are going through by helicopter looking for any sign of distress. They have already rescued three people already.

Meanwhile, at the summit of Kilauea, experts have measured 500 earthquakes in just the 24-hour period. That's about one earthquake every three minutes, but experts also say we shouldn't read too much into this. What we might pay attention to is the fact that there have been very few explosions over the past couple of days.

That either means that Kilauea is dying down or there is a much bigger explosion brewing in the future. Scott McLean, CNN, Oahu, Hawaii.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ALLEN: And that's our news for now, but we are coming up a few minutes later. I am Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I am Cyril Vanier. You've got "World Sports" up next. We are back in 15 minutes.

VINCE CELLINI, HOST, WORLD SPORTS: Hello and welcome to "World Sports" at CNN Center. I am Vince Cellini and we begin with the NBA Finals Game two and for the Cleveland Cavaliers, forgetting the nightmare finish of Game one - the Golden State overtime win.

Cleveland's missed opportunity. JR Smith's late game blunder made for two days of discussion with a new narrative, was Golden State making it halfway to a third title in four years? To Oracle Arena, LeBron James coming up 51... [00:45:16]

CELLINI: ... point game, but he was outnumbered in this one. The Warriors was all business, quarter after quarter almost never missing and attacking inside and outside. Kevin Durant from three, 26 in the game. Steph Curry, the other big gun, 16 first half points, 33 in the game. Warriors by 13 at the half. And to the Cavs credit, they did not quit in the third, getting the lead under 10 a couple of times. James 29 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds, but then, their show began at Oracle.

Steph Curry shot clock winding down a ridiculous three and there is much more of Curry. The throw caution to the wind three-pointers all falling a finals record nine in total, Golden State 122-103, leading two games to none, now 19 and 1 at home, over the last two post seasons. Game three and four shift to Cleveland, Wednesday and Friday. The finals may not return to the California Coast.

And now to football, with the World Cup only 11 days away, weekend friendlies are more than tune ups. They are beacons of hope for countries like Brazil. That's because their superstar, Neymar was set to return from injury and he did in a big way.

But let's go back. Back to 2014, at 22 years of age, carrying the weight of expectation of the nation on his shoulders, as this country hosted that year's tournament, he suffered the cruelest of fates, that is a broken bone in his back in a quarter final match with Colombia, writhing in pain on the ground, carried off on a stretcher in tears and gone from competition.

The South American would go on to become the world's most expensive footballer when he joined Paris Saint Germain, but his injury curse struck again in late February, as he underwent surgery on a broken foot, and so, the questions began, would he beat the clock in the race against time for Russia?

Well, Peg is a substitute for this friendly against Croatia at Annfield, Sunday. Neymar showed a flair for the dramatic. What a site, he came on at half time, the 26-year-old beating three men in a rifle shot just under the cross bar, Neymar putting Brazil in front and what a lift for himself, his team, his country, very happy for the young man.

Firmino would add a late goal, 2-0 Brazil was the final.

Well, Neymar described his rehabilitation as the biggest challenge of his career, but now that he is back in the fold, the Brazilian certainly has the Russia World Cup clearly in his sights. Earlier, our Patrick Snell talked all things Neymar with football expert, Mark Bolton.

(VIDEO CLIP STARTS)

PATRICK SNELL, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Based on what you observed, how would you grade Neymar's comeback? MARK BOLTON, FOOTBALL EXPERT: Oh, sensational. Headline making

across the world and so it should be. No expectation is bigger in the world than on Brazilian football, as this guy is atlas in terms of the amount of weight on his shoulders, think Ronaldo back to 2002 that personal and public national redemption after the failure in 1998.

Of course, Brazil still reeling from that semi-final defeat, seven won in their own Maracana Stadium to Germany back on their own turf. That's what we've been looking towards now, to exercise this ghost and this is the way to do it, an Ali-esque goal, butterfly feet and a bee stinging finish, wonderful stuff from Neymar. He has been in great form this season, but of course, out for half of it, all of those doubles with PSC, 19 and 20 in League One and then that metatarsal that everyone is looking at, the fifth that he cracked, does it mean that he is fit enough to start. The suggestion is that after today, coming out at half time, that yes, he will take the starting berth when they kickoff their campaign Brazil.

SNELL: Yes, it looked like he'd never been away from this, well, then Mark, it was an impeccable finish. Neymar, let's just talk big picture. He's such a Taz man isn't he, for Brazil? They need him as fit as possible for this World Cup. How great is the weight of expectation on him do you feel?

BOLTON: Well, it's huge. It's absolutely huge. I mean, there's lots of talk, isn't there, about the front three. We think back again to the 2002, the 3R's - Ronaldo was key in that. We don't know what the starting lineup is. We suspected a few weeks ago, it would be Coutinho, alongside Neymar himself and Jesus, but there is a possibility that Jesus will drop out now. There is a possibility with Firmino having come in today and scored also, that he will come in.

Neymar is the big option. Yes, the weight of the world is on his shoulders, but he needs a supporting cast as you always do in a winning side, so depending on whose alongside him, the day you attention is when he has answered some of those questions, with Firmino being in great form, (inaudible) has been suggesting for weeks that he will push Jesus out of the starting lineup.

Today, we suspect he may well do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CELLINI: Gentlemen, thank you. SPI now also expected to make a big impact in Russia after their group stage exit in 2014, yet some frustration versus the Swiss. This goal was gift wrapped by...

[00:50:16]

CELLINI: ... Manchester United goal keeper, David de Gea who was unable to secure a soft shot from Stephan Lichtsteiner and that allowed Ricardo Rodriguez to tap in to draw level in the second half.

As it is, the Spanish coach started without any players who would help Real Madrid win last weekend's Champion's League finals and in this one, it ends one all. Well, coming up on the show, it was golf history in the making. The winner made it look easy, though she did a near collapse with a solid bunker shot helping this woman become a major winner in Alabama on Sunday.

Welcome back and now, let's check in on the PGA Tour where play had to get underway early on Sunday to get out of some bad weather situations forecasted in the state of Ohio. Tiger Woods shot up in the share of the lead on Saturday at the Memorial Tournament before fading and then on Sunday, an even par 72 finishing him at nine under par and time for 23rd.

The tournament closed out this way with the man dubbed "The golf scientist" (inaudible) in a cap. Twenty-four year old Californian, Bryson Dechambeau claiming his title, his birdie on the second playoff, while assuming his second career PGA tour title, the other coming last July.

Meanwhile, golfer Ariya Jutanugarn seemed to be cruising to her second major title with a seven-shot lead at the US Women's Open in Alabama. After turning a four under 32 on the front, the Thai pro hit a horrible tee shot at the 10th, slicing it deep into the woods, went on to make triple bogey and a rough back nine would begin.

She was 500 par or over par on the backside overall, including a missed par putt on 18, will officially sole possession of the lead, forcing a playoff and it seemed like a playoff with South Korea's Hyo Jo Kim would drag on and on until that great bunker shot on the fourth playoff roll and then a simple tap in as she went into the second major championship the hard way.

She is the first person from Thailand to win a Women's American Open.

And time now to get you caught up on one of the biggest events on the UK's equestrian calendar. The Epsom Derby is Britain's richest horserace. It's also a race absolutely steeped in history as evidenced by the fact that it has been run for the 239th time.

And it turns out to be an occasion to savor for device rule, Sheikh Mohammed. Aly Vance has that story.

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ALY VANCE, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: First run way back in 1780, the derby as it is simply known is ranked as the greatest flat race in the world and one of Britain's most traditional days out.

All eyes were on the Aidan O'Brien trained unbeaten, awesome favorite Saxom Warrior who won the 2000 Guineas last month. He was heavily back for victory, but with Epsom's unique undulating course, the derby doesn't always go to plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they are on their way, just a little stumble from Saxom Warrior leaving...

[00:55:16]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the starting stalls. VANCE: The favorites in the all purple colors was midfield as he

turned for home, but suddenly, he faced a wall of horses in front of him. Meanwhile, Masar who finished third behind him in the Guineas kicked for home and the fields had no answer for his sudden turn afoot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible).

VANCE: Saxom Warrior could only manage fourth of 12th, denied by Masar who at 16-1 was something of an outsider and gave both jockey William Buick and trainer, Charlie Appleby their first derby success.

CHARLIE APPLEBY, TRAINER: Every derby that goes by, we didn't have a win. I just think that I just wanted to be the first person at the open blue, cross the line and figure out (inaudible), but the 100 yards were a long way, I can tell you, but I'll have to say, it's just great. Besides in here, they're all family and it often being the derby winner is fantastic.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM, VICE PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: I am very happy that my daughter is here today and the horse came from Dubai.

VANCE: Having won the Dubai World Cup earlier this year and finishing second in yesterday's oaks, it's been quite a year in racing for Sheikh Mohammed. He will look to continue this success with the famous Royal Ascot just a couple of weeks away.

Aly Vance for CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

CELLINI: And that is it for us. We thank you for watching from the whole team here, I am Vince Cellini, please stay with us. The news is next.